[Academy First Year First Semester Midterm Exam Knight Department Ranking]
[1st. Balrosi Viston
2nd. Veriana Kalproten
3rd. Cain...
...15th. Barosu Drage
16th. Aint Armian....]
"What? Aint's rank isn't as high as expected?"
"I know. Considering he defeated Veriana, it's a bit..."
Aint mixed into the whispering crowd and blankly checked his grades.
<16th? The heir of Armian is merely 16th?>
He could hear Sir Gardner Alpenfassen clicking his tongue.
"Well, it couldn't be helped. The exams were all replaced with written tests..."
Of course, it wasn't that Aint was stupid or completely terrible at theory.
If that were the case, he couldn't have ranked 16th out of 100. It was just that the goal they were looking at was higher than expected.
"Oh."
A short exclamation came from beside him.
"16th? That's a huge improvement."
"Balrosi?"
Aint welcomed Balrosi.
He was one of the few who neither mocked the fallen name of Armian nor kept his distance out of reverence.
To be more precise, he was kind to everyone.
"Congratulations, Aint. That's amazing. You went from 38th to 16th in one go."
"Don't praise me too much. It's just because it was only written exams. Above all, it's just the midterm exam."
"Well, if it had been practical, you probably would have ranked even higher, right? You did defeat Veriana, after all."
"That's true."
But it was still just the midterm exam grade, not the final ranking. The final grade would depend on how one did in the final exam and subsequent practical training.
"Anyway, it's a good grade."
"That's right. Going from 38th to 16th in just half a semester. It's an unbelievable growth rate."
At that moment, a youthful voice abruptly interjected.
When Aint turned his head, there stood someone he had never seen before.
She was a beautiful woman with short orange hair and impressive emerald eyes.
"Aint Armian, right?"
"You are...?"
Even without Sir Gardner's words, it was impossible not to notice her pointed ears.
"Ariadne Florian. From the magic department."
"...Florian."
Ariadne extended her hand. Aint hesitated for a moment before grasping her outstretched hand.
"Do you dislike me?"
"I don't have any particular prejudice."
Balrosi shook his head.
"Whatever the reason, Florian legitimately obtained the rights under the Golden Decree."
"Thanks for seeing it positively. Actually, I took a big step coming forward first."
Embedded stones don't particularly welcome newly rolling stones. That was true of all societies, and the pillars of the Empire were no different.
"A big step?"
In response to Aint's question, she nodded.
"First-years have their first joint class after the midterm exams, right?"
Joint classes among first-years were quite rare, but they did exist.
"I've heard of it. It's a survival class, isn't it?"
Aint nodded. As far as he knew, it was the knight department and the magic department surviving together for a week.
"Fighting each other is forbidden in that class. So wouldn't it be better to join forces?"
That wasn't wrong.
'That's the first time I've heard that.'
Being with other people, Aint couldn't openly question it. But since there was no harm in listening to Gardner, he came up with a suitable excuse.
"But will that class still happen as planned? This midterm exam was replaced with written tests due to the monsters going berserk."
"It will happen."
The answer came not from Ariadne but from Balrosi.
"Originally, it would typically be held in the north, but I heard that this time it's being changed to the southern forest."
"How did you...?"
Aint, who was about to question, shook his head. Balrosi was the heir to the Viston family. He probably had countless connections within the academy.
"That doesn't mean I'm suggesting we should accept an elf who suddenly proposes to be on our team."
"That's harsh. You said you didn't have prejudice?"
"Entrusting your back to someone you've just met isn't a lack of prejudice; it's foolishness."
"But combat between each other is forbidden in the survival practical?"
"Even so..."
"Both of you, stop!"
Aint halted the bickering Balrosi and Ariadne. Then he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I don't plan to team up with anyone in this practical training."
It was because Sir Gardner Alpenfassen had suggested a third path.
***
"Mithril. Mithril. Mithril."
Gerhard, who had successfully secured the position of temporary instructor, felt the need to establish a more definite plan.
"I can't let even a tiny bit of mithril go to him."
At the same time, he mustn't be discovered by Aint. If he suddenly took the mithril that should be his, it would be no different from declaring himself an enemy.
It would be a terrible scenario that would bring him one step closer to the worst future where he would fall from grace.
"I must intercept it before he arrives at that place, before he notices the existence of mithril."
Without anyone knowing, as if the mithril never existed in the first place.
"There are three mountains to overcome."
First, not being caught neglecting the instructor duties.
Second, not being discovered by Aint Armian and Sir Gardner Alpenfassen.
'And the third...'